Unsent Letters
by PepsiCola541
Summary: Annabeth Chase moves to a new state in search of a new start after leaving her whole career in New York. California has promise, a whole new path and a new future, but she still feels lonely. Writing letters she doesn't intend to send to people she needs to talk to eases the pain for a while, but what will happen when it doesn't anymore?
1. Annabeth

_Dear Mom,_

_There's a thrill that comes with writing these letters. One that I can't quite understand and probably never will. It's easier to lie to yourself and pretend you sent them when you know it's impossible to ever send them, because the people they're addressed to can't or won't listen to the words you've thought over and over and over in your mind. So they sit there, unwelcome and secret, tucked safely in a hidden drawer or stuffed unceremoniously under the bed. You tell yourself that yes, they were sent, just to make yourself stop having the terrible pang in your chest, but the feeling never really goes away. You're either relieved at thinking that the letters were sent, or suddenly get this terrible worry in the middle of the night you didn't know was possible and fish out the stupid papers from your hiding places, and then sigh in relief. It's a never-ending cycle of pain, one that probably won't ever end. _

_Well, that's what I thought when I moved here. I thought that I'd never be happy in my life, because I hadn't had the biggest happy joy ride of a life so far. But California had so much hidden promise. I learned that from the very first day. And somehow, someway, we all took paths that crossed and ended up realizing the biggest thing- that we weren't alone anymore. Those who had left us or passed on or those we had left behind, they faded away to the back of our minds when we were all together, and it wasn't a bad thing. I wouldn't ever try to forget you, Mom, but it still hurts. It really, really hurts. Even if the pain isn't as bad as it used to be, it's still extremely painful._

_Anyway. Everyone's waiting on me downstairs, so I better get going. I love you, mom. I know you'll understand._

_Love, _

_Annabeth_

* * *

_**A year ago**_

* * *

_It's hot here _were the first thoughts in Annabeth's mind that pertained to California. The words when she thought about her brother included a litany of cussing and a little bit of road rage. And the thoughts about her mom and dad made her want to cry, although she thought about her brother and got angry all over again.

The whole ride here, Annabeth had worried about her family nonstop that she had completely _forgotten _to worry about California. Taking over her mother's shop wasn't a small thing, but she'd somehow pushed it all out of her mind. She started biting her fingernails again, but she'd already done a number on them in the car that it was pretty impossible to keep biting them.

She reached in her pocket, feeling the familiar folded piece of paper, her mother's last letter willing the shop to Annabeth. For the hundredth time since Annabeth had received it in the mail, she wondered if her mother had even cared about what Annabeth had had going for her in New York. She had the classes of her dreams at the college of her dreams, all paid with a scholarship from her high school. But somehow it wasn't what she really wanted. She wanted to travel, to build structures all over the world that would last forever.

Standing in front of the building before her, however, she hardly felt as if this structure would last two days. It looked old and cramped, the windows looking as if they were being swallowed by the bricks, three stories high but not very impressive. The outside of the building was dirty, which was a shame because the brick was naturally a nice chalky pink color that Annabeth didn't fully dislike. However, more to add to the upkeep of this place, there were wilting flowers in the flowerbeds, which automatically caused Annabeth to be even more depressed with the prospect of taking this business. What had she been thinking? That if she had taken this opportunity and it hadn't worked out that she could just jump on an airplane and fly home, pick up where she'd left off?

She couldn't, and she knew she couldn't. Malcolm would give her endless "I told you so" comments and Mr. Brunner, her guardian ever since her father died and her mother ran away, would sit placidly in the corner, his hands crossed over his lap and his lips pressed into a thin line. She hated that look most of all.

Malcolm had told her not to do this, leave her whole life behind for something unknown. It was strange even to her that she had taken the shop. She never did anything impulsive. Everything in her life had been planned ever since Malcolm had told her that their mom had run away. Those days had been the most heartbreaking she'd ever known, crying in her brother's lap every night, wondering why they were so unimportant, why their mother had left them. Weren't they her children?

She shook her head clear of the flashbacks, her eyes skimming the page once more and reading, _The key is under the mat. Take it from there._

She scoffed. Take it from where, exactly? Her mother hadn't written any instructions on how to handle the shop or what the people here were like. Did her mother even get costumers or did she just live here, alone, waiting for something that would never come? Would Annabeth be the same way?

She knelt down, lifting up the mat and trying not to squirm when a bunch of insects came scurrying out from their hiding place. She finally claimed the dirty key as her own, after flicking an ant off of the dingy silver.

She stuffed the key in the hole, having to jimmy it a bit before she was able to open the door. _At least it's nice and cool in here, _Annabeth thought. Walking in further, she took in her surroundings.

There was a staircase straight across from the entryway, and a sign that pointed upstairs read _"Make your own crafts!"_ in a girl's script, unfamiliar handwriting that was not her mother's.

The place looked as if it had been dusted recently, which led Annabeth to think of burglars. _But who would want to loot this place? _her mind responded. It wasn't logical. Actually, a lot of things about taking this shop were illogical. She'd dropped out of college to do her dead mother's bidding, and she didn't know why. She never dreamed she'd be a dropout. _You're such a failure, _she scolded herself for the umpteenth time.

She walked up the creaky stairs, wincing each time they made any noise and praying that they wouldn't fall through. Finally making it upstairs without another repair to fix, she sighed in relief.

The second floor was much more interesting. The walls were colored in eye-watering neon, with hot pinks and highlighter blues and yellows and greens. And the _crafts. _They were so beautiful. A pottery wheel stood at attention in the corner. There were baskets and baskets of colored beads lining the walls, and even baskets of unfinished knitting yarn. This place was for all kinds of ages, with a flatscreen on the far wall where the more elementary arts were and an old radio for the elder people who presumably knitted, which was playing jazz music softly.

_Do people really come here? _Since she'd actually seen the building, she didn't think that anyone actually did. But if she wanted an income, she guessed that she'd have to hope that they did.

She turned back to the staircase, running her hand alongside the dusty rail as she went up to the last floor. It seemed like no one had been up here in a while, the thick dust on the floor masking her footsteps.

She turned to face a door, probably where her new apartment was. Turning the doorknob, she realized the door was open, and she walked inside.

Despite the dust, the place was well-kept. The bed had been made up with an old quilt and the table had been adorned with fake flowers, for which she was glad since she didn't want any more wilting flowers bringing down her mood. She wondered if the cabinets had any food. She didn't want to meet anyone just yet in this smaller division of San Francisco by going out to the local grocery store, because everyone knew everyone and she didn't want to meet anyone, actually. Burying herself in her studies in public school hadn't exactly sharpened her people skills.

She decided she'd go get her bags from her cherry red Jeep, which Mr. Brunner had insisted on gifting her before she left. She honestly had no idea how he'd managed to buy it with his teacher's salary, but she'd learned a long time ago never to ask where his money came from.

She made her way downstairs, but by the time she made it to the second floor, she heard the door's little bell jingle, signaling someone was downstairs. _A customer already? _But she hadn't even opened the store yet. Who was this?

Annabeth walked downstairs to see a girl, presumably around her age, but the girl apparently didn't hear her at first because she screamed, which caused Annabeth to scream, too.

"What are you doing here?!" Annabeth said, peeved at the girl for screaming.

"Holy Jesus, I always come in here!" the girl said, her hand to her chest. She was quite pretty, actually. She had a nice, even tan and her hair was brown and choppy, which Annabeth actually liked. She had beads in her hair at the end of two braids, each running in front of both of her ears, and her clothes were covered in paint.

The girl closed her kaleidoscope eyes, which Annabeth suddenly envied, and took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. Miss Chase always asked me to keep taking care of the place after she… passed on, so I do just that. I guess you have the key that's usually under the mat, because the door was open. I didn't mean to scare you," she said. Her blue eyes- or were they brown? She couldn't tell in this light- looked pleadingly at her, and Annabeth suddenly felt a wave of forgiveness overtake her. She never caved this fast.

"It's okay," she found herself saying. "I'm Annabeth, Miss… Chase's daughter. I've come to take over the shop."

"Hey, that's great!" the girl exclaimed, looking downright perky all of the sudden. "I was scared that her kids wouldn't take it. She always said that your lives- you and your brother's- were too planned out to take anything out of the ordinary. But I'm really glad you proved her wrong!" She suddenly pounced on Annabeth in a hug, one that Annabeth was not expecting. This girl was _really _friendly.

When she leaned back, she held out her hand. "I'm Piper. Piper… yeah. I was Miss Chase's assistant while she was here. She was almost a second mom to me, since my real mom died when I was younger."

Annabeth felt a sudden pang of jealousy hit her chest. Athena, her mother, had left her and her brother behind but had taken Piper in? What was Piper, a replacement for her mother's past? Didn't she care enough that she already had a daughter and a son in New York?

She faked a smile, one that Piper showed she knew was falsified, since her own grin faded a bit. "Um, my friend Jason-" she blushed- "told me to give these to you." She held out a basket Annabeth hadn't noticed to her. It was full of plastic-wrapped blue cookies. Who in their right mind would make blue cookies?

Piper laughed, a graceful, pretty sound. "I'm sure you're thinking why they're blue. Well, Jason is what you'd call a sort of… I don't know. He takes in his friends and lets them live in his house. Honestly, it reminds me of a frat club. Anyway, his friend Percy, who's pretty much a newbie in this town, too, made these for you. For the time that he knew Miss Chase, he really liked her. Well, everyone did. So he made these for you in honor of her and in welcoming you." She smiled again, and Annabeth tried not to scream or cry. Did everyone know her mother but her?

"Sorry the place is so dusty," Piper said, looking at the floor. "I guess I hadn't thought to sweep," she said sheepishly, a blush rising on her cheeks. "I almost didn't make it today- I had to throw on my friend Rachel's clothes because I was late and I hadn't done laundry. And it just goes to show her she shouldn't leave her clothes at my house, anyway."

"But… no one is usually here, right?"

"Yeah, people are always here, silly!" she said, laughing her laugh again. "This is one of the hot spots in town. Have you seen the lounge room upstairs? Everyone, of all ages, hangs out up there. It's really fun. I, well, I open the shop every day at the same time. Sorry," she added, looking sheepish again.

"Stop apologizing," Annabeth said, waving her off. "It's okay. Maybe you can show me the ropes around here, anyway," she said. "And…" she looked around at the cobwebs and the dirty room. "Maybe a repairman and a maid," she added.

"I know just the person," she said, and Annabeth could have sworn an almost evil grin crossed Piper's gorgeous features.

"Sure," Annabeth said, not sure at all. "I'm going to get my bags out of my car," she said, trying to get away from socializing. But Piper was relentless.

"I'll help you!" she said, practically bouncing after her. Once they'd reached her Jeep, Piper grinned. "I love Jeeps! My dad used to have one before his bodyguar- I mean, before his, um, _friend _wrecked it," she finished. Piper was a terrible liar.

"Uh-huh," Annabeth murmured, wondering if all the people in this part of town were strange and secretive. She grabbed her gray carry-ons and headed to the house, Piper in tow behind her.

"I can get one of those for you, if you want," Piper called behind her, but Annabeth merely shook her head and said, "I've got it." Piper kept following her, all the way up the stairs. Would she ever lose this girl?

Apparently not. "Here, let me help you unpack," she said, grabbing a bag from Annabeth despite her protests. "Oooh, I have the same shirt!" Piper said, holding up the blouse. "We'll have to match sometime," she joked with a wink. Annabeth gave an unsure laugh.

"Ha ha hah… Well, I actually do have something you can do for me," Annabeth pondered.

Piper was ready for orders, mocking a salute. "I'm at your disposal, Miss Annabeth," she said with a grin. _That grin never fades off of her face, does it?_ Annabeth thought.

"Could you go to the grocery store and get me some food?" Annabeth asked. _Finally, some more silence. _"I would, but I have to unpack." She tried to shrug convincingly.

"Please, Miss Annabeth, you should come, too! It's a great way to meet people." _Exactly what I want to avoid! _ Annabeth's mind screamed. But Piper was too quick, grabbing her wrist and running down the stairs. "You want to go in my car, or your car? Probably better go in your car, you're right, since I should text the guys to meet us afterwards at the coffee shop! Yeah! Perfect," she muttered to herself, reaching into her back pocket for her phone and pulling up a new message to unfamiliar names. Annabeth rolled her eyes when Piper wasn't looking.

Annabeth jumped in the front seat, waiting for Piper to buckle herself in before starting the ignition and pulling out of the gravel parking lot.

"Oh, shoot," Annabeth said, stopping the car. "I forgot to lock up the store."

Piper waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Miss Annabeth, no one is going to steal anything out of that store in this part of town." _Do you really think it's smart to be so trusting? _Annabeth grunted in her mind.

"Why do you keep calling me 'Miss Annabeth'? Annabeth asked Piper, who looked up from her phone. A blush adorned her cheeks again, but it wasn't Annabeth's doing. Looking at Piper's phone, a message to 'Jason' was pulled up, and she'd been tapping out something when Annabeth had interrupted.

Piper looked a little disheveled. "Hah, well, um, oh! Yeah, I call you that because you're my employer." She gave a grin that could have persuaded feral cats to become tame.

_We haven't even talked about that yet! _Annabeth's thoughts screamed out at her. _Why does she keep doing this to me?!_

"Yeeaahh," Annabeth drew out, unconvinced. She felt bad for the girl, since her mother died, too, but Annabeth's jealousy still reared its ugly head. She wished she'd known her own mother as well as Piper knew her.

Piper didn't seem to notice the uncertainty in Annabeth's voice. She finally put her phone away. "All done. Frank can't make it, because he's busy with my da- I mean, he's just busy. Hazel and Leo can make it, but Hazel only agreed to come unless Leo wasn't coming," she said, the sheepish grin back on her face. "Leo's… well, Leo's a bit of a flirt, I'm just going to warn you. And Reyna-" Piper's face fell the slightest bit- "can't come since she's tending some things at a 'summer camp'." Piper used finger quotes around the words 'summer camp'.

Annabeth cut in. "A summer camp… in the fall?"

"Don't ask me. I'm not particularly close with Reyna, anyway, so every time I try and reach out to her she makes excuses to not hang out with me. Unless I mention that Jason is there," she said, a sour look on her face.

Annabeth flashed a knowing smile, finally getting it. "So, let me get this straight. You like Jason, but so does Reyna, so you and Reyna are silently fighting over Jason. Am I correct?"

Piper's green- or were they blue?- eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Annabeth smiled. "Powers of deduction. You can continue. Who else is coming?"

"Jason, Percy, Nico, and Grover. Oh, and also Grover's girlfriend, Juniper. And Rachel can come, too. She had a crush on Percy for a while, but she doesn't anymore. Nico's sort of a loner, really. Ever since his sister died… he's never been the same."

Annabeth bit her lip. "I know the feeling." Piper reached out and patted Annabeth's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll be your friend in need, any time you want me!" She smiled again. Annabeth's teeth clenched. _You'll be my friend any time I don't particularly want you, either, _she thought.

Without even meaning to, Annabeth had made a friend. How this had happened, she didn't have a clue.

"We're here!" Piper explained, her interchanging eye colors brightening. "I have a debit card, so it's all on me."

"No, no," Annabeth started to protest, but Piper shook her head, determined.

"I won't let you get out of that store unless you let me pay," she said. "And I can make a pretty big scene." Her evil grin was back on her face. Annabeth scowled, and Piper laughed. "Don't make that face, Miss Annabeth Chase," she said, getting out of the car. "It makes you look like you need to poop," she added, bursting out laughing. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. It was pretty hard not to smile around Perky Piper.

"And don't worry about the debit card. My dad has it all taken care of." Annabeth couldn't make this girl see reason, so she finally relented and walked towards the store.

The sign above the building read, "Rainbow Organic Food & Lifestyles." _What the…?!_

"Come on, Miss Annabeth! Let's go inside!" She waved her hand for Annabeth to join her before racing back and grabbing Annabeth's wrist.

Once inside, Annabeth didn't know what she'd walked into.

Along the sides of the building were bins of dried fruit, nuts, and all different kinds of fruit. Annabeth recognized Piper's tie-dyed shirt from the exact one hanging on the rack on the opposite side of the store. Wind chimes tinkled from the ceiling fan overhead. "Piper, what-"

"Hey, Fleecy!" Piper said amicably, flashing a smile at a small, waif, pale girl with almost white blonde hair and grayish eyes. "What's the stone for today?"

"Well," Fleecy said, a shy tone to her voice, "I found this geode in the forest last night."

How someone could even maneuver a forest at night was beyond Annabeth, but Piper didn't look as if this was anything new. Piper held out her palm and Fleecy let the rock fall gently into Piper's hand.

"Wow," Piper said, looking mesmerized by the stone. "I'm sure we could use this for the arts and crafts shop, don't you think?" she said, winking at Fleecy. Fleecy finally smiled.

"Fleecy," Piper said, "this is Annabeth Chase. She's taking over the shop for her mother." Fleecy smiled slightly before looking down at the ground and mumbling something. Piper leaned forward, as if to hear her better, and leaned back to Annabeth's ear. "She's happy to meet you, and hopes to be good friends with you in the future," Piper translated in a whisper.

"Good to meet you, too," Annabeth said politely, smiling. Piper waved to Fleecy and started to explore the store with Annabeth.

"What, exactly, can we find in here that's not…" Annabeth fingered a gluten-free pack of cupcakes, "strange?"

Piper waved her hand. "Nothing, that's what. But Fleecy and her guardian, Isis, are two of the sweetest people ever. You can't go to the actual grocery store without coming here first and buying something, even something you'll never use. If you don't, word will get around and Fleecy and Iris will get their feelings hurt. It's actually pretty hilarious, since the guys have to walk around with R.O.F.L. items," Piper said, stifling her laughter.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "R.O.F.L.?"

"It's the acronym for "Rainbow Organic Food & Lifestyles. Don't question it- it's not my doing. But everyone in this part of town has to come here and sport R.O.F.L. apparel. It's just how things are done in our community, because we can't be impolite. Which is why," Piper picked up a gauzy, lavender, Tinker-Bell style dress with too much tulle, "We are putting you in this." The evil grin appeared again, looking out of place on Piper's face.

"No, no, no, no we're not," Annabeth said. "I am _not _getting into that thing. Just buy me a tie-dye t-shirt."

"Miss Annabeth," Piper said, "moving here means a new start for you, so we should get you a new wardrobe!" Piper pushed Annabeth into the dressing room with the dress in her hands, ignoring Annabeth's indignant shouts. "You don't want to be impolite, Annabeth!" Piper whispered.

"You owe me so big, Piper!" Annabeth warned, opening the dressing room door. Piper didn't laugh, however. When Annabeth looked in the mirror, she was definitely surprised. The dress was strangely form-fitting, and, being strapless, it showed off her tan shoulders. Piper came up behind her and put Annabeth's blonde curls to one side, and it made her look almost… _glamorous. _Something she'd never been before.

"That's it," Piper said. "We're getting you this dress, Miss Annabeth!" Perky Piper beamed like a ray of sunshine.

"Not before we get you, one, too!" Annabeth said, grabbing a turquoise dress from the rack.

Ten minutes later, Piper and Annabeth were waving to an ecstatic Fleecy as they left R.O.F.L., decked out in their dresses with their regular clothes hanging on their arms.

"Ready to meet the guys?" Piper said, turning to her new friend with a smile.

All Annabeth really wanted to do was go home, but she thought again about her mother's last words to her.

_Take it from here._

Maybe it was time for her to escape her comfort zone.

"Yeah," she told Piper with a newfound smile, "I'm ready."

The drive to the coffee shop was pretty short, and it consisted of Piper's continuous chatter about her friends. "Juniper's super nice, but she gets worried a lot," Piper said. "I wish you could have met Thalia, but she moved back to New York last year."

Annabeth almost crashed the car into a tree, swerving off the road. Piper squealed when the Jeep jerked her forward.

"Who did you say moved back to New York last year?!" Annabeth said, her eyes wide.

"Thalia Grace. She's… well, she's Jason's sister. She's super cool and super fun to hang with, although she can be a bit imitating at times."

"Did she grow up in New York?" Annabeth had to know if this was her Thalia.

"Yeah. In a town called Amsterdam. Why?"

"Because that's where I grew up!" Annabeth exclaimed, excited. "I went to elementary school with her! We were best friends back then, up until she moved. Then I lost touch. Oh my God, that's so strange!"

"Small world!" Piper agreed. "That's really cool. I'm glad you got to meet her, though. She's someone worth meeting."

"She sure is," Annabeth said, turning back onto the road. "Is that the coffee shop?"

"Yup, that's it," Piper said. Annabeth turned the cherry red Jeep into the parking lot and turned off the engine. Piper started to get out of the car, but Annabeth stayed where she was.

Piper stopped, realizing Annabeth wasn't getting out. "Hey," Piper called, "what's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Annabeth said, "I'm just a little nervous. All those people… I'm not good at socializing."

"I think you're great at socializing," Piper said. "I've had a lot of fun today."

"Thanks, but I've never really been the socializing type," Annabeth admitted. "In high school, I buried myself in my studies so I'd turn out to be someone important. I never really had any friends."

"Well, you do now," Piper said, sending her a smile. "Don't worry, I promise you'll be fine." Annabeth inhaled, exhaled, and exited her car. She followed Piper to the door of the coffee shop.

"Hey, Pipes!" a male voice called. Annabeth had never seen Piper so shy before, and she realized it was Jason's voice.

"Hey, Jason," she said, twisting a braid around her finger and blushing. Jason nodded to Annabeth.

"Hey, so you're Annabeth?" he smiled. "Nice to meet-"

Jason was suddenly pushed away by a mischievous looking guy with curly, dark brown hair. He sauntered his way up to her, and kissed her hand dramatically. "My lady," he introduced, "I am Sir Leo, and I'm your future husband. It's nice to finally meet yo-"

Piper pushed Leo away from Annabeth. "Stop," she said, folding her arms. "You promised you wouldn't do any of that crap today."

A girl with beautiful mocha chocolate skin and caramel colored hair rolled her eyes, her arms already folded. "Yeah, and you promised you wouldn't invite him so he wouldn't have a chance do any of that crap today," she muttered. Annabeth guessed this was Hazel.

"Hey," Leo said, a cheeky grin on his face as he walked over to Hazel, "It's not my fault the ladies' hormones go so _wild _when they're around me." Hazel turned to Leo and outright slapped him across the face. Jason said "ooh" while another guy with raven black hair and pretty green eyes said "ouch."

Leo just shook his head slightly, puffing out his chest. "They just can't handle it." Hazel groaned, putting her head down on the table.

The guy with the pretty green eyes stood up. "Hey," he said. "I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you."

Leo was right about the hormones thing, but her hormones weren't overreacting for Leo. This dude was seriously _on. Her. Radar. _

"Hey," she said, shaking his hand and trying not to hold on for too long. "I'm Annabeth Chase. My mom was Athena Chase."

He let go of her hand, and Annabeth wished he didn't have to. "Yeah, Miss Chase was great. The coolest person ever. It must have been awesome to have her for a mom." His grin showed that he wasn't aware that Annabeth hardly knew her mom.

"Um, yeah," she halfheartedly agreed. "Yeah."

Percy shifted his feet, realizing that he may have hit a sore spot and looking a little concerned for Annabeth. "So, did you try the cookies?"

"No, I didn't get a chance to," she said. "But why are they blue?"

To Annabeth's surprise, the entire group groaned at her question, along with a few indignant murmurs of "not again!"

Hazel broke in. "He tells this story every-frickin-day," she said, rubbing her temple furiously.

Percy appeared affronted. "Well, I'm sorry, Hazel, that you don't appreciate my cookies."

Hazel rolled her eyes. "It's not the cookies, it's the story."

Percy's eyes widened. "It's a good story!"

The entire group went silent. Percy sighed. "Sorry, Annabeth," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'll have to tell you another time."

"Phew," Hazel said, smiling at Annabeth and holding out her hand. "I'm Hazel," she said. "Sorry I'm such a grump-" here Leo muttered, "sure are," and Hazel sent him a look before continuing- 'but I just got home from working."

Piper smiled. "And her boyfriend isn't here."

Hazel couldn't help but smile. Piper nodded, the grin back on her face. "I knew it. Well, Annabeth, as you know, this is Percy, Jason, Hazel, Leo, Nico, and this is Grover and Juniper, his girlfriend." She pointed to each as she said their names. "Hm," Piper hummed, cocking her head to the side. "I guess Rachel couldn't make it. I'll have to text her later, because you have to meet her."

Annabeth smiled and nodded, her eyes falling on Grover and Juniper. They were probably the cutest couple ever, in Annabeth's opinion. Grover had a scruffy beard and curly hair, while Juniper had greenish eyes and nice, bark-colored hair. They were sitting together, Juniper's head on Grover's chest with her eyes closed.

It made Annabeth want a boyfriend.

"Why don't you sit down, Annabeth?" Piper said with a laugh. She ended up next to Jason, who put his arm around her chair. She blushed.

Annabeth somehow ended up sitting to the Percy dude, which she was secretly glad for. He smiled at her, which made her blush just like Piper.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, Percy, why don't you tell Annabeth about the blue cookies? She deserves to know. I'm sorry for being so rude."

Leo muttered a "that's okay" which earned a slap on his arm from her. Then she smiled and nodded to Percy, who looked a little scared of her.

"Well, when I was little, my stepdad told my mom there was no blue food in the world, so then as a sort of rebellion against him she started going out of her way to make blue food. So I just carry on the tradition." He knelt down to- was that a tie-dyed satchel?!- and opened it. It was full of plastic wrapped cookies.

"I make them a lot," he said, grinning. He didn't seem embarrassed of his tradition or even his satchel, which he probably was roped into getting from R.O.F.L.

Annabeth smiled, at him, knowing she liked this guy already.

* * *

"Wasn't that fun, Miss Annabeth?" Piper said, somehow still perky. Annabeth was exhausted.

"Yeah, yeah, it wasn't bad, but you shouldn't have had that cup of coffee this late," she chided. Piper was perky enough naturally.

Piper waved her off. "Puh-lease. I can take it. Plus, we have to be up bright and early tomorrow to open the shop together, right?" Suddenly, as Annabeth turned into the driveway of her new shop, she noticed Piper's face fell. They got out of the car and Annabeth turned to Piper, folding her arms.

"Piper, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "In all the commotion, I never thought to ask you if I was even going to be working with you, if you'll have me. It wasn't very nice of me."

"Of course you'll work with me," Annabeth said, surprising herself. "I need to have _someone _show me the ropes, and who better to show them than you?"

Piper's kaleidoscope eyes were watery in the moonlight. "Thank you, Miss Annabeth," she said, throwing her arms around her new friend.

"Don't call me 'Miss', Piper, just Annabeth is fine."

"Deal," Piper said, tossing her a smile over her shoulder as she headed to her car. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Annabeth watched her pull out of the driveway before making her way inside her new shop. She wandered upstairs and, upon entering the small apartment, crawled into her mother's bed. She actually recognized the smell. Like vanilla and forest pine.

Pulling out a piece of paper, she started a tradition of her own. She needed to talk to the someone who held all the answers to her inner pain.

_Dear Mom,_

_I'm really relieved to get here alright. It's been a long day, but I'm glad I met Piper. She seems like a good friend. I have to admit I was a little jealous of her when I first met her, since she was able to meet you and I wasn't. It hurt, to be honest. I miss you a lot and I hardly know you, so I'm not sure why I even miss you. Did you hate us, Mom? Why did you leave? Malcolm and I had to fend for ourselves before Mr. Brunner finally came to take care of us. That week was the worst of my life, and you didn't care. I know you were sad over Dad's death, but to get drunk every night and then just run off, suddenly? There wasn't any sign of you left except for the beer bottles littering the floor and the nightmares. Dad getting hit by a car made me want to scream and cry and get drunk and run away, too, but I didn't and I was a child back then. I still don't know what your motives were or why you wanted to run away, but I hope I find out or start to understand eventually._

_Love,_

_Annabeth_

Feeling slightly bitter and angry inside, she tucked the letter away inside a drawer and fell asleep. Surrounded by her mother's smell, the nightmares evaded her that night.

* * *

**Song for this chapter- Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons.**

**Love those reviews! Question for this chapter- what's your favorite band, and why?**

**-PepCo **


	2. Leo

_Dear Reyna,_

_Hanging around the shop during the night never felt so lonely. I never seem to turn your head- or anyone else's, for that matter. I might mask my hurt with a stupid joke or some sort of song, but it's actually pain hidden underneath a fake smile. You'll never realize that I'm just kidding because you're so blind to me. The only one who's ever mattered in a girl's eyes has been your precious Jason, and anyone less than Jason isn't worth paying attention to. I've always walked in his shadow, my great and handsome best friend who never noticed that I was hurting. I'm not trying to blame him- it wasn't his fault he never was aware of the pain he inflicted. I always feel as if I'm not worth being with, only part of it being that I carry a giant carry-on of emotional baggage. And no girl deserves that. Just know that, whatever happened in your life, you're not the only one who's broken._

_Sincerely,_

_Leo_

Leo groaned after skimming over his letter, written on a typical napkin. He wasn't sure why he wrote to Reyna this night, and why he'd suddenly poured out his heart like a steaming cup of bitter coffee that no one ordered. When he secretly wrote to Hazel or Piper or even Annabeth, it was usually cliché, dramatic poems or lyrics to love songs. But he'd never written what he truly felt like to anyone.

When his mom died, he'd blamed himself for her death. He'd run away that night, never to return to that cursed house. He wasn't really good at socializing. He'd rather tinker with machines than hang out with real people. It was easier to talk to machines- you couldn't ever say the wrong thing. Somehow, something wrong always seemed to come out of his mouth, and there wasn't anything he could do to change it. That was just how he was. And plus, you couldn't fix a person as easily as you could machinery. He knew that firsthand.

He felt so lost, here in this small area on the outskirts of San Francisco. At twenty-two, he'd hoped to settle down with someone and get married soon, but he was starting to think that he'd never be with anyone. He'd be in his fifties, still working at The Coffee Hut, still living at Jason's until he kicked him out of his house. What would become of him? Would he die, not knowing love since he was small, ever since his mother died?

He wanted to know love. He didn't want to live his whole life without really living for a minute.

"Leo," Nico called from the Coffee Hut kitchen. "Your shift ended ten minutes ago. You should hit the sack. We have to get up early tomorrow, you know."

Leo merely nodded, hurriedly stuffing the napkin in his pocket and making his way out of the door.

Once Leo arrived home, relishing that he wasn't in the dark of the night street any longer, he took one glance at the alarm clock and groaned. 2:00 in the morning? What had come over him that had made him take the late shift? He could see why Nico took the shift- he wasn't the most social guy he'd ever known and he had a tendency to take to the dark too much. Leo was different. Seeing the light of day or the heat of flames dancing in his hearth at home, which he know stared at in thought, made him feel safer. Like he wasn't so alone.

He carelessly threw himself on the bed, wishing for sleep that wouldn't come. He sat there, under his covers, staring at the ceiling and wishing that his life wasn't a total bust. Thinking his life over, again, he felt himself tear up. He wasn't strong, emotionally or physically, like Jason. He wasn't completely loyal like Percy- he'd spent his whole life running from his past, even though Percy himself had run away from his own father. He wasn't stubborn like Nico. He wasn't terribly kind like Grover. He felt like he didn't fit in anywhere. He was a misfit of the misfits, destined to never find his place.

The people he knew from his childhood had blamed him for setting fire to his mother's workshop- and standing outside of the burning building with matches in his hands hadn't been much consolation to his neighbors or himself. His whole life, he'd blamed himself for killing his own mother. How could he have done that? The kinder people of his community had said, _it's okay, Leo. You didn't mean to. _

It didn't change anything. Even if he hadn't meant to, he still did it. And there wasn't anything he could do to bring her back.

He crawled deeper under his covers, trying to block out his thoughts, instead bringing on silent, heartbreaking sobs that he couldn't control. He didn't know when, but he finally fell asleep, the nightmares of flames filling his mind and burning him alive. The friendship of fire now turning on him.

When he finally woke, disoriented, he glanced at his alarm clock. One thirty-seven? In the afternoon?! How was that even possible? He crashed back down on his pillow, groaning, until he suddenly shot up in bed.

Oh, no. He'd missed Jason's birthday lunch. He felt a pang of hurt soundly hit his chest after this realization. They hadn't even bothered to wake him. _Maybe they knew I came home late last night, _he reassured himself, his heart refusing to accept his belief but his mind hoping for some brotherly affection.

The doorbell rang downstairs, and Leo's eyebrow arched. It probably wasn't the guys. When they went out for lunch, they _went _out for lunch. As in, the buffet table at CiCi's Pizza was not going to be full when they left.

He wandered down the three flights of stairs, taking his time. It always amused Leo to see Jason's mansion, bought by his father's money. Leo didn't know his father, and didn't really care to, actually. He felt a deep sadness for his mom suddenly, and he had a strange wish that men were allowed to cry in public without having their manhood stripped.

He finally reached the front door, muttering an "Okay, okay, I'm coming, calm your pants" to himself when they rang it five times in a row.

Once he opened the door, he suddenly felt very self conscious. Reyna stood before him, her long, black hair straight and perfectly falling down her back. A light of hope in her onyx eyes died upon seeing Leo, and he felt affronted. She sniffed at him, looking away and pursing her lips. Leo pushed away his feelings, like he always did around people, and took on his usual attitude.

"Hello, honey!" he exclaimed. He glanced at a pretend, invisible watch on his wrist. "You arrived at just the right time." He smirked at her, ignoring her glare and look of disgust on her face. And then he made the exact wrong move. He went in for a hug.

In an abrupt moment, Leo realized that Reyna was carrying a large, long, rectangular box- he hadn't seen it before because he was completely consumed with her features- and as she jerked away from Leo's touch she let go of the box. With her gasp of horror, the cake went flying- and crashed down on the pavement. It was a cake, one that lay flat on the concrete in complete disarray.

She turned on him, seething, pointing to the mess that was once a cake. It was probably meant for Jason, since everyone knew she liked him so much. _Hard to compete with Piper, _Leo thought, even though in his opinion Reyna was the prettiest of them all. Even Annabeth. Reyna had this certain mystery about her, and it endeared him. He wanted to learn her secrets.

Not that he would any time soon. The dark eyes of Reyna seemed to seep in his soul like the black night he'd always wanted to avoid. She folded her arms. "You'll just have to buy me another cake, then."

He threw up his hands, no longer in a joking mood. He was still grumpy from his loneliness and nightmare-ridden sleep. He patted his no-pocket sweatpants and his gray, worn t-shirt, cursing in his head. "I don't have any money. Do you think that I just ooze money? If you want money, as Jason." He was irritated by this girl. Did she really expect him to hand her his life savings? Plus, he needed every penny for what he was working toward.

Her eyes widened in anger and astonishment. "Are you serious?! How can I ask Jason for money for _his _birthday cake? How does that concept even work for you?!" She growled, frustrated. Leo suddenly felt very guilty.

"Look… I think Percy has an extra cake mix in the kitchen. He's always baking," he explained to the enraged Reyna. "We can make a new cake for him."

She tapped a finger on her chin, pondering his attempt to make it up to her. Her eyes narrowed at the crushed cake lying on the sidewalk. "What about this cake?"

He pointed outside behind her. "There's a hose somewhere next to the garden," he said. "I'm sure it won't be hard to just hose it off." However, she sent him a dry look.

Leo's eyes looked at her attire. She was clad in a purple, prudent sundress, perfect for the summer- fall transition. He thought she looked even more beautiful in it. Man, why wasn't he noticing all of her? _I must be really tired_, he thought. He yawned, looking slightly like a sleepy kitten.

He felt poor and messy, his chocolate- copper brown curls mussed and clothed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He regretted not brushing his hair before he went downstairs, but what could he do? He noticed that Reyna wasn't moving for the hose, and he guessed she didn't want to mess up her clothes. _Talk about high- maintenance. _

"Kitchen's down the hall to the right," Leo called to her over his shoulder, not waiting for a response. He shook off the cake's contents from the cardboard and put it aside to throw away and quickly hosed off the cake. It melted away easily.

Carrying the box inside, he wandered into the kitchen, throwing it away and licking the leftover icing off of his fingers. Reyna rolled her eyes, shaking her head as if to say, _disgusting, but what can you do? _

He ignored her grossed out glances, as he always had his whole life. He was used to girls being sickened by his behavior by now.

He glanced at the back of the Betty Crocker Devil's Food cake, looking at the oven setting and turning the knob to the accurate temperature. Reyna, to his surprise, nodded in approval, which made whatever pride he had left flare in happiness. He liked attention, especially from girls, and he'd obviously always lacked in that department.

"You are my treasure, yeah, you, you, you, you are," he murmured under his breath as he rushed around for eggs. The radio was always on at the Coffee Hut, which left cursed, preppy songs rushing around in his head. He didn't mind Bruno, not really, but too much just made him insane.

"What are you singing, Leo?" Reyna asked. He suddenly turned, humming in question, and he could have sworn she was smiling only a second ago. Only a ghost of a grin danced in her eyes when she looked at him. Her gaze made him feel warm all over.

"That song," she repeated. "My sister…" the light in her eyes died, and her expression turned cold and firm, unwelcoming to conversation. Like a candle, her happiness had flared to life then died, blown out by the wind.

He didn't want to pry, as he had enough emotional baggage for five people- or so he thought- but he couldn't help thinking that he wanted to know the obscure nature of this girl. "What's about your sister?" he asked gently, sending her a soft, concerned smile and jumping up to sit on the counter.

"Nothing," she muttered, a sour look on her face. She broke an egg with so much force that the entire shell crumbled at once, the yolk falling on the counter. The force betrayed her emotions, as did her eyes, and she suddenly was crying, her whole demeanor crumbling like the egg shell. Leo, all the laughter and song drained out of him, swiftly wiped up the egg with a grabbed paper towel and guided her to a nearby chair.

"Hey," he gently said. He tried to make his words as comforting as possible, but he didn't have much social experience. He prayed that he wouldn't do anything wrong.

She looked as if she was ashamed from crying, and it broke his heart to her pride broken, her guard down. He cautiously put his palm over her hand, and her fist clenched.

"My sister…" she sobbed, and he put his arms around her, and suddenly he was holding her, stroking her. "She- she doesn't- she doesn't contact me anymore," she said. "The last time that she ever contacted me was- was when this song was- was playing on the r-radio. She told me she was okay, just that she'd moved to somewhere else."

"That's good, though, isn't it?" Leo said, cupping her tear-stained cheek, not really thinking about the proximity of their faces at this moment. He wondered if he'd be analyzing this moment later on, just like the perv he felt he was. That made him feel guilty, and he dropped his hand from her face. She didn't seem to notice, still waiting for his words. "At least you know where she is."

He sat down again in his chair, and he was surprised to see he held her attention. He looked down at his lap, fiddling with his fingers and wishing he had some spare parts to play with. His ADHD tended to flare up when he was nervous or angry. Or, in this case, both. He cursed in his brain, wishing he'd dressed in something more attractive than sweats and something with pockets. She looked at him, curious, her brows slightly furrowed. Was Leo just dreaming, or was she still gazing at him with rapt attention?

He tried not to blush at her intense look. Who knew she carried so much pain inside, just like he did? He wouldn't have ever guessed by the way she held her head so high, how she never let her guard down. He'd tried to charm her before- well, he'd tried to charm every girl he set his sights on- but it hadn't ever worked. She'd only had eyes for his best friend, the very guy Leo was lost in the shadow he cast. He felt a pang of jealously, one he'd always regretted but nevertheless felt. How was it so easy for Jason, so effortless? Leo felt all the more insecure and insignificant when he thought of Jason, so he tried to block the thought out of his mind.

"My dad left my mom and me when I was just a baby," Leo said, his gaze downcast, trying not to cry as well. "He never cared."

"Leo," Reyna said, biting her lip. "Look at me," she ordered him, her voice catching on the words. He did so with hesitation, as his eyes were tearing up at that moment, but she lifted his chin with her index and thumb, her thumb stroking dangerously close to his lips. Was this really the Reyna he knew? He was definitely attracted to her, as he was a flirt, but this feeling in his chest was different than before. It was unexplored, inexperienced.

Leo now thought back to his childhood. He'd never had a kiss, hardly touched a girl at all let alone anything suggestive. He was so shy yet he forced himself to say suggestive things to girls, to play around with their hearts. He'd done it only for himself, in selfishness. He wanted to act as if nothing bothered him when the reality was that everything did. His life now, a charity case living in his best friend's mansion, the very best friend he was jealous of. His father, who had deemed him and his mother too unimportant for him to stay. His friends, who had left him behind, left him out of everything. His arbitrary crushes, the girls who never cared.

_Does Reyna care?_

The thought blossomed in his mind and he crushed it under a mental boot. He could not grow attached. He flirted, yes, but that was his cover. He knew- or rather, hoped- that no one would care enough to search underneath, to know the real Leo. He'd keep on running if someone started to care. That's what he'd always be, and he knew it. A runaway never able to face the truth.

Of course she didn't care- it was just a coincidence, an emotional moment that they shared but didn't mean anything at all. It would be forgotten as soon as Reyna left this house. She'd go back to crushing on Jason, maybe even dating him, and Leo would be left in the dust, alone, waiting. Forever alone.

He realized that his throat burned from holding back his tears, and he tried to swallow the lump caught in his trachea. And then he felt the numbness. The tears on his face. The slight embarrassment from letting Reyna, of all people, see him cry. But it was just that, only _slight. _The numbness that came so often with his pain made it impossible to care. He wouldn't care, ever.

Reyna suddenly seemed to notice what was going on, what they were doing, what they were supposed to be doing. She was a leader. She stood up, breathing deeply, in and out, wiping her face and continuing to break the eggs. Right where they'd left off.

Just like that, the moment was forgotten. Reyna didn't bother Leo. She let him sit there, rocking himself on the chair, his head in his hands. He sobbed for reasons he didn't know. He wished he could stop. He hated this. The confusion paired with the ever-growing humiliation was too much to bear.

"Stop!" he yelled suddenly. His whole façade had broken, the wall busted. He was suddenly furious at her for this. He'd blame himself later, he knew, but for now the anger fueled him like coal to a flame, pushing him on, encouraging him to blame her. To blame everyone except for himself.

"I-" the threat suddenly died in his throat. He was no longer a tiger, ready to pounce. He was only a kitten, pretending to be fierce when he was no harm. Reyna's eyes were still locked on Leo's form, her hand frozen where it was on the spoon. She pressed her lips into a firm line, looking down and continuing to stir.

"They'll be home soon. You should get changed," she suggested. A shower sounded good to Leo. He wished he could finally get his thoughts together. For some odd reason, he couldn't think straight when he was around Reyna. The way his mind muddled with mixed emotions when she was around was more intense than he'd ever felt around a girl. It was strange, something he didn't understand in the least.

An hour later, Leo returned to the kitchen, dressed in a white button down and suspenders, back to his original self. He cringed to think of his breakdown only sixty minutes ago. Once he saw Reyna, taking the cake out of the oven, he opened his mouth to apologize, but she beat him to it. "I'm sorry, Leo," she said. "I- I don't know what happened." She sent him a sheepish smile, and for a moment he wondered if she was blushing. Nah, it was probably the light, he guessed.

"Yeah," he said, his sheepish grin mirroring hers. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what happened, either."

"So," she said. "If anyone asks-"

"We were just making a cake," he finished for her. "Because I, being the graceful guy that I am, caused that catastrophe on the sidewalk."

She smiled for once, albeit a small smile. It made Leo grin widely, and he hated to think why. "The cake almost done?"

"After it cools," she said, just as the doorbell rang. Her eyes widened, looking to him for an answer. "They're not home yet, are they?!" Flustered, she smoothed her dress and her hair. _Probably trying to clean up for Jason, right? _Leo thought, trying to push away his envy. It was his best friend's birthday, for God's sake. He needed to be happy for him.

But why was it so hard when he looked into Reyna's eyes, when he was around Reyna? His mind turned to mush. He started to hate this feeling that he was out of control.

Reyna sent him one last worried half-smile before turning to answer the door. Leo leaned against the counter, sighing as he heard her say, "Hey, Jason! Happy birthday!..."

He felt the napkin in his pocket, mocking him, and he tore it up and threw it in the trash. It wasn't like she was going to read it any time soon, anyway.

* * *

**Song for this chapter- "Treasure" by Bruno Mars. Just because of Leo's antics.**

**Random question- what's your favorite cake? Mine's obviously Devil Food chocolate. I swear, I'd eat chocolate on everything. **

**-PepCo**


	3. Piper

_**Piper**_

_**Twenty-nine months ago**_

* * *

The train's pulling out of the station, and her breath puffs in the air. She pulls her coat tighter against her small frame, shuffling with her belongings so they won't fall in the snow. She's here, finally, here where she can finally make something of herself; pretend that what she's leaving behind isn't worth thinking about.

But the ties she has with people, her friends, her _family_, they're inevitably going to follow her wherever she goes, no matter how much she wishes they wouldn't. She holds her eyes closed so the tears won't fall. She's a little scared that they might freeze on her flushed cheeks.

_Let it go. _

The wind blows her hair in her face, and she shudders. The snow falls on her eyelashes as she trudges on, trying to make sure she's going in the right direction.

She's only twenty, but she's already left home. She's not even completely sure where she's going, where she'll end up. But she keeps on, mostly because she's afraid that if she stops and waits that she'll break down and run back to her past. And she wouldn't ever go back, she'd promised that.

"It's a blizzard coming in!" a passerby shouts, holding his hat on his head so it won't fly off in the frenzy of the people and the wind, threatening to steal it from atop his head. She bites her freezing lip, turning it inward to pressure heat back into it.

"Excuse me," she says, grabbing the arm of a man who looks grumpily down at her. "Do you know where-"

He shakes his head in disgust, folding his arms. The movement causes her to glance down at his shirt, and she's slightly aghast. His arms are bare. He's clad in a tiger-print button down, but he doesn't even seem to notice the cold surrounding him.

"Go away, girl," he says. His breath is pushed towards her by the wind, smelling slightly of sour grapes, and she fights not to cringe. He keeps walking, not even shaking in the slightest.

"Sir-" she calls, but it's too late since he's already gone. She huffs into the air. She fights to see someone else who might be able to help her, but the snow starts to blow in her face and she's blind, so blind, and tears spring from her eyes because of the wind and she's walking in nothingness-

Until she walks into a body.

She almost screams because of the jarring stop, and she falls onto the snowy ground from the abruptness. She looks up at the figure, squinting to see his face.

His hand, which is outstretched towards her, hits her nose once she tilts her face upward to see him, and she takes it and lifts herself from the sidewalk. Once she's level and close to him, she finally makes out his face. He has a kind smile, a scar on his upper lip, and his eyes are icy blue, almost gray, like the frozen ice-skating rink her nanny used to take her to as a child. She can't see him fully, since he's wearing a hood over his head. She smiles back at him politely, her clothes already getting colder from the wetness, and her grin wanes a bit from the cold.

"I'm sorry, you must be freezing," he says, chucking nervously. "I didn't mean to knock into you."

"No, no, it's fine," she says, even though inwardly she thinks it's not. She hardly has any changes of clothes. She curses the moment that she stuffed her suitcase full of random articles of clothing, blinded by her hot anger.

She realizes that she's lost in a thought, and he's staring at her, concerned. He suddenly jerks his hand out again, this time in a handshake. "I'm Jason," he introduces.

"Piper," she responds, taking his hand in a shake. His gloved hands warm her naked ones, which have, up until now, lost all feeling. They now sting with the newfound heat, and she gradually pulls her hand back and stuffs it into a pocket.

"Where are you going?" he asks her, apparently making conversation. Not that she completely minded talking to a cute stranger, but she really did need to go.

She looks at the ground briefly, trying to keep her smile from fading. "Anywhere."

His brows furrow curiously at her statement, and he tilts his head in question. "Anywhere meaning…?"

"Away."

He nods at her, flashing teeth. "That's a lot more specific."

She shrugs. "Specific enough for a stranger."

He nods, relenting. "Here-" he started taking off his own coat, getting it slightly wet at the bottom as it grazed the pavement. "Take this, since I got you completely wet."

"No, no, I couldn't-"

He drapes it over her shoulders, nodding in approval. "Keep it. No takebacks."

"But how will I find you? How will I get it back to you?"

"I can always get new coats, and plus, it looks better on you."

"Fine," she says, sighing appreciatively into the air, relishing in the wanted warmth. "Thank you, Jason."

"You're welcome, Piper," he says with a wink. "I hope we'll meet again someday."

She hopes her cheeks are wind-chapped enough to hide her flush. "Unlikely, but me too."

"Nothing's impossible."

She simply nods, walking away from the man. As he smiles at her one last time and walks past her, she turns back and watches him fade into the white void of fog and snow.

The train's whistle blows into the air, as if sighing impatiently, and Piper hurriedly grabs her suitcases from the ground and boards the train. The conductor screams next to her, "All aboard!"

The train's warm, and after a few minutes the cold drains out of her. She doesn't really need the stranger's coat anymore, but she's reluctant to take it off for some reason. Maybe it was the charm of who once wore it, she didn't know.

"Attention, passengers," the intercom overhead says with the conductor's voice, "we will be pulling into San Francisco in a matter of hours."

She settles lower into her seat, breathing in the smell of the coat and falling asleep.

* * *

"Excuse me, miss."

She jolts upward, feeling as if she's only slept a few seconds. When she looks up, she meets the disapproving gaze of the conductor. "We've arrived."

"Oh, yes sir," she mumbles sleepily, grabbing her belongings and exiting out of the train car. She smiles once she sees San Francisco. It's foggy, but not snowy, and she's feeling relieved.

She walks around for a while, slightly disoriented but in awe. Unfortunately, though, she runs into another person for the second time that day.

This time, it's a lady. She's pretty young, Piper realizes once she grasps her bearings again. The woman's gray eyes widen at the sight of her.

"I'm so sorry," Piper says. "I've done that twice today."

"That's fine," she responds. "You're pretty young. I haven't seen you around before. What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

Piper's slightly puzzled. "What do you mean, you haven't seen me around before? It's not like San Francisco is small enough for everyone to know everyone."

She laughs. "Well, in this part of San Fran, it's a pretty close community. This is Jupiter," the lady explains, motioning around her. "It's a small suburb area. I guess you've never been here before...?"

"No, obviously," Piper says with a small chuckle. "I haven't even heard of Jupiter."

"It's sort of an ironic name, since the community is so small," says the lady. She puts a hand on her chest. "I'm Athena Chase. Who might you be?"

"I'm Piper, ma'am."

"You don't have to call me ma'am," Athena responds. "It makes me feel old."

Piper looks off into the darkened sky. "Well, I've never really had anyone to call ma'am before. I guess I just do it because I feel like I need to."

"Strange reasoning, I suppose, but it makes sense." Athena cocks her head to the side. "Do you need to stay somewhere for the night? I'm sure that I can find you a place," she says, looking over Piper's bags.

"Yes, please," Piper says. "I hope that I won't be too much trouble."

"No, no," she says, waving her off. "I have a small apartment in my shop, if you want to sleep there. But if you don't want to sleep in a stranger's house, which I completely understand, I can recommend some great inns in this area."

"Well," Piper says, pondering, "I guess I could just stay with you, if that's alright."

"Of course. How long will you be staying?"

"I-" Piper was at a loss for words. How long was she staying? Making rash decisions wasn't really her forte. She wished, now, that she'd planned out where she'd be going. "I… I don't really know." She bit her lip to keep from crying.

"Well, here. If you need a job, I could certainly use the help in my store."

"Really?" Piper said, her voice lifting in hope.

"Sure. My store's just around the corner, actually." Athena smiled at her new tenant.

They walked the short distance to the store in silence, Piper too tired to speak much and Athena apparently lost in thought. She reached under the mat, picking out a small key, and depositing it into the keyhole.

When Piper entered Athena's shop, she looked around, eyeing small cardboard boxes filled with a variety of craft items. "It's not much," Athena admitted. "I never really unpacked all those years ago. Never really got around to it…" her sentence drifted off into the air, and her eyes were distant, lost in a memory.

Piper shuffled her feet, jolting Ms. Chase out of her daze. Athena turned around, fiddling with something in a box before saying to Piper, "Go ahead and go upstairs. It's the third floor." Piper nodded, but as soon as her foot hit the first step of the staircase, she was met with another request.

"Oh, and Annab- I mean, Piper, go ahead and take the bed. I can sleep on the couch." The end of her sentence was met by a phone ringing, leaving no room for Piper to protest Athena's decision. She made her way upstairs, sighing. Who was this "Annab" that Athena had almost called her?

She shook her head as she opened the apartment door, not even moving to take off Jason's coat. She simply fell on the bed, exhausted, and passed out.

* * *

"Piper, breakfast!"

Piper woke to the smell of bacon and eggs drifting in the air, and she hummed in content. She'd never had this treatment with her parents.

She looked to the door, seeing her stranger's coat hanging from the rack, and she wondered fleetingly how it got there. Maybe Athena had taken it off of her and tucked her in bed?

"If you want a change of clothes, you can borrow some of mine," Athena said, scrambling the eggs in a frying pan and sprinkling cheese on them. "Third drawer on the dresser. And the bathroom is over there," she pointed.

"Thanks, ma'am," Piper acknowledged, smiling as Athena shook her head at the polite name. She made her way to the dresser and picked up a tie-dyed t-shirt and matching jeans.

"Why are these jeans… tie-dyed?"

Her host laughed. "It's a long story, one you'll eventually hear sometime."

"Okay…" Piper replied, unsure, as she entered the bathroom. Once she'd changed, clad in tie-dyed clothes from head to toe, breakfast was ready.

As Piper scarfed the food down, Athena started conversing with her. "How old are you, Piper? Are you still in school?"

"I'm twenty. I actually attended college in New York, but I… I left."

Athena almost dropped her fork. "You've come all the way from New York?"

"Yes. My… my father has a home there. He has a home in Hollywood, too, though, but every now and then he goes up there."

"Does he know where you are?" Athena's tone was low, concerned. Piper fell silent, the room only filled with the sound of cutlery hitting plates.

"Piper."

"Yes?" she asked, afraid of what was to come.

"I have to contact your father if he doesn't know where you are."

"What?" Piper said, dropping her fork to the plate with a _clank_. "Why? I'm an adult. He doesn't have any jurisdiction over me."

"Yes, but he is your father. He has to know where you are. If I didn't know where my daughter was-" she suddenly cut herself off, realizing what she was saying. She raised her elbows to the table, dropping her head in her hands and running them through her brown hair.

"I miss them," she whispered brokenly, as if she was about to cry. "I left them, and I miss them. I wish they were here."

Piper looked at her, her brows turned down. "Who?" she said quietly.

Athena sniffed, straightening her posture and staring absently into space. "My daughter and my son. I- I couldn't…"

A sob escaped from her throat.

Piper felt ineffective, sitting there just looking at the broken woman across from her. She scooted her chair across the floor, abandoning her food and making her way to Athena.

She knelt down, hugging her, and they stayed in that position for a long while until Athena muttered, "You remind me of what she would be."

"Your daughter?"

"Yes. Her name was Annabeth. She… she lives in New York with her brother and their guardian. I just…" she sobbed into Piper's shoulder. "I couldn't stay there. Not after what happened."

"What happened?"

"My husband… he… he got into a car accident. No seatbelt. The jolt of the metal meeting metal threw him through the windshield. He didn't survive." she whimpered, trying to hold back her cries. "I couldn't stay there. The children… they reminded me too much of him. I sent a guardian there to take care of them, a man I trust with my life. And I moved here in search of a new life, but…" she floated off into painful cries.

"It's okay, Ms. Athena," Piper said, rubbing her back. "It's all going to be okay."

But even Piper didn't know if it would ever be okay. Would she even stay here? Would her father forget her completely? Did he even try to come after her? Or was his career too important?

"This is why I need you to contact your father. Tell him… tell him you're okay. Tell him where you are."

Piper nodded soundlessly, folding her lips inward.

* * *

"Piper?"

The voice on the other end of the line was exasperated, happy, relieved. "I'm so happy- I don't- where are you?"

"I'm in this small area of San Francisco called Jupiter," Piper said.

"Pipes, you traveled all the way across the country?" her dad said. She imagined him running a hand through his scalp in worry as he sighed raggedly.

She smiled a saccharine smile to herself, and it felt tight against her lips. "Dad, I'm twenty. I can take care of things for myself. I just needed to tell you where I was at."

Her dad stopped, maybe surprised that she even thought to contact him. "Uh, thanks, Pipes."

She wanted to say so much to him. She wanted to tell him how she felt, like she was pushed out of his life, like he didn't care enough to want her around. But she didn't, despite herself. She said, "Sure," like it didn't matter at all.

It did. Every second she held her emotions back built up an even bigger flood, and there was only so much her mental levees could hold back before they cracked. "Anyway, I have to go, Dad. Nice talking to you." she bitterly hung up on the call, not waiting for his response and hardly wanting it.

Athena Chase appeared through the door to the bedroom, and she sighed. "Did you manage to call him?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you, Piper." she smiled a quiet parting grin before she left her presence.

Piper sat on the bed. Downstairs, she heard instrumental music playing on a radio, and she found herself thinking that the melody couldn't have been more beautiful. It relaxed her. She didn't even know she liked this type of music, but it was growing on her as she listened.

Gathering her thoughts, she meandered down the stairs, following the tune. An old radio softly sang a tune filled with instruments. She stood there, just listening, closing her eyes and swaying slightly.

"I told Ms. Fate to turn that off," grumbled Athena, but Piper reached out a hand to stop her from turning the knob.

"No, no, it's fine," Piper said sheepishly. "I like it."

"Really?" Athena looked astonished. "I thought all girls your age liked the boy bands and such."

"It's… relaxing."

Athena merely hummed in response, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well, Piper, I'm going to go out and get some groceries… is there anything you'd like?"

"No, I'm fine," Piper said, content with her surroundings.

"Okay, then," Athena replied, grabbing her purse and keys. "I'm going to put the closed sign up so no one will come in. You don't have to start work today- it's Sunday, anyway. Have a day off." With a small smile, she departed from the shop.

Piper wandered around while Athena was gone, taking a rag and dusting off shelves and boxes. As she was stacking them neatly inside a supply closet under the stairs, a bell sounded in the entryway, notifying her that someone had come inside the door. That's strange, Piper thought.

She walked to meet the greeter, the rag tucked in her back pocket, but the person she saw at the door wasn't who she expected at all. It was the stranger from the train depot- was his name Jason?- and he looked as surprised as she was to see him.

It wasn't a bad sort of surprise, though, because he smiled brightly at her. "Piper, is it?" he checked, just to make sure. She nodded, and he held out his hand again. Very formal, this one. "It's nice to see you again."

"I still have your coat," Piper blurted suddenly, always awkward with people of the opposite gender. She blushed. "It's upstairs- I'll go get it." Jason looked as if he was about to say something, but she dashed up the staircase before he could get a word in edgewise.

She grabbed the coat off the coat rack hurriedly before running back downstairs. "Here you are," she said with an accomplished smile, handing it to him. He took it from her graciously, draping it over his arm with a flourish.

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head slightly. "So, what are you doing around here?"

She shrugged. "Well, as I told you at the depot, I'm just drifting anywhere. You know, wherever life takes me."

He nodded, listening intently. "How'd you end up here?"

She laughed. "I actually ran into Ms. Chase on the street, and she took me in. I guess I'm sort of her apprentice. And her tenant. Well, until I get an apartment, that is."

"I know how that is," Jason said. "A lot of my friends live at my house- I'll have to introduce you to them soon. Sometimes it just gets hard to deal with things and you need a break from it all, you know?"

I definitely do know,Piper thought.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, then?" Jason asked, cocking his head to the side in question. Piper smiled again.

"Of course."

"That's wonderful," he said. He bowed sarcastically to her, laughing a little to himself and exiting the shop. The second the door shut, her body collapsed against the counter in a daze. Wow. He was something else, wasn't he?

She suddenly had a thought and dashed up the stairs again. Entering Athena's bedroom, she looked around until she eyed a yellow notepad and a ballpoint. Penning the heading of a letter, she started writing:

_Dear Jason,_

_I just met you for the second time, and all I can say is, wow. You're so amicable- no wonder your friends like to stay with you. You're just too_

She cut off her sentence, groaning in disgust. When did she become such a lovesick puppy?

Balling the paper up and tossing it under the bed, she grumbled again and fell face-first on the couch, wondering what she was going to do with herself.

* * *

**Um, can you sort of tell that I'm trying to avoid writing RC? Um, well, you see, what had happened was… Oooh, look! A flying donut!**

**Reviews are loved…! (you're so low, Pep, asking for reviews when you're being a naughty writer) **


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